MACARTHUR'S FIRST GUERRILLA REGIMENT
We arrived at Jones just before dark; it appeared to be a more
prosperous barrio than we had seen. There were many nipa shacks, some
on stilts and some on the ground.
As we drove into headquarters area, we were greeted by Major Everett
Warner, the C.O., and Major Guillermo Nakar, the Executive Officer and
the C.O. of Headquarters Battalion. They both seemed pleased to have
an American medical officer in the regiment. I also met Captain Warren
Minton, C.O. of the 3rd Battalion, which included one squadron of
cavalry, and Captain Robert Arnold, in charge of communications. He
had brought a two-way radio from the northwest corner of Luzon, where
he was with the Air Warning Service. I was introduced to several other
American and Filipino officers, and then taken to the officers' mess
and fed. The regiment now numbered nearly 1500.
For quarters, I was assigned a small tobacco warehouse, where Major
Nakar would be my roommate. He slept in a full-sized brass bed; I
slept on bales of tobacco, Tobaccolera, the worlds finest. I didn't
smoke, but knew that many soldiers on Bataan were dying for a smoke.
Major Nakar was a short, "smiling roly-poly Filipino officer, who
looked about thirty-five, with a big black mustache, curved up at the
ends, a twinkle in his black eyes-set deep in a small chubby face. He
liked to lay, propped up in bed, and read books about great military
leaders such as Napoleon, and the Filipino patriot and idol, Jose
Rizal." With a chuckle, he liked to quote Confucius: "Make enemy think
you are far away when you are near! Make enemy think you are near when
you are far away!"
About Nakar, Capt. Arnold remarked, "He means to get ahead!" After
knowing him for a few days, I began to get the feeling that he would
someday be President of the Philippines. I asked Major Nakar: "How
come this barrio seems to be named, 'Jones,' after an American? I
don't know of any other named for an American."
He replied:
"Dr. Jones was a professor from a California university. He came to
the Philippines many years ago to make some studies. He lived in this
vicinity for a long time. When he finished his work, he announced his
departure for the States. The local
Ilongots, an uncivilized tribe of headhunters living in this area,
told Dr. Jones, 'We have come to like you and respect you. We do not
want you to go, but to stay here with us!' Jones explained that he
liked them and appreciated their hospitality, but he had finished his
work and must return home.
"With chilling logic, the Ilongots cut off Jones' head so that his
spirit might always remain, and named the barrio after him, Jones."
When I learned that "Christian heads" were at a premium, I always kept
my .45 and my newly acquired M-l rifle handy.
Supply System: A supply system was organized. Owners of rice mills,
farmers and politicians were cooperative-furnishing food, clothing,
equipment and even one-hundred small Filipino ponies for our cavalry
squadron. For these, they were willing to accept IOU notes-hopefully
to be honored by the government after the war.
Communications: A small nipa shack housed our two-way radio set up by
Captain Arnold. Contact was established with USAFFE HQ on Corregidor,
and a regular time set for transmission. News could be obtained
several times each day, making the shack a very popular place. A relay
telephone system using existing lines along the highway reached all
outposts.
Air Strip: Troops with the help of civilian labor constructed an air
strip in the vicinity of Jones, adequate for light planes. It was
concealed by placing several portable buildings on it. On two
occasions a light plane from Bataan dropped boxes of medicine,
ammunition and shoes. This bolstered our morale more than our
warehouses. General MacArthur became intensely interested in his first
Guerrilla Regiment, probably because things were not going well on
Bataan.
Medical Service: As former C.O. of the station hospital at Camp John
Hay, I became the Regimental Surgeon and organized a medical service
with one dental and four medical officers, all from the Philippine
Army, as my assistants. We had a dispensary at the Regimental HQ in
Jones and two small hospitals in abandoned schools in neighboring
barrios Minuri and Dibulwan hopefully out of bombing range.
In the absence of a regular source of medical supplies, our treatment
was often quite primitive. We were able to get some medicines and
surgical instruments from local hospitals, but only after the Japanese
had raided them. Local physicians and civilians
gave freely of their time and care.
Since malaria was prevalent in the Cagayan Valley, our anti-malarial
drugs were quickly consumed. Under the guidance of native officers,
the bark of certain tall trees was gathered and boiled in water. The
resulting extraction caused cessation of active malaria symptoms for a
few days, and then had to be repeated. A similar potion was made from
the bark of guava bushes, and was reputed to relieve diarrhea. We were
fortunate that most Filipinos seemed to have considerable immunity
against tropical diseases; our morbidity rates were low.
Our visits to the hospitals were frequently made on horseback.
As I rode along the trails, little Filipinos, noting my King George V
beard, often amused me by doffing their big straw hats, bowing low and
saying, "Buenos Dias, Padre!" For security reasons, and to keep rumors
to a minimum, many of our trips were made after dark.
When patrols were going our on the prowl, medical aid men went along,
carrying small amounts of medicines and bandages. Local physicians
were used whenever possible. Civilians were very good to our sick and
wounded, taking them into their homes and caring for them until they
could travel, in spite of threats by the Japs.
Efforts were made to care for all sick and wounded civilians in our
areas of operation. This paid dividends in many ways. It was the
friendliness of the Filipinos that paved the way for MacArthur's
eventual invasion of Luzon. Most of the time there was no question of
loyalty among the Filipinos.
Diet and Sanitation: Our diet was good-obtained from the fertile farms
and haciendas of the Cagayan Valley. When possible, water was obtained
from the deep wells in each barrio. Most Filipinos were familiar with
crude sand filter, made by digging shallow wells a few feet back on
river banks.
Pit latrines were dug whenever troops remained in an area for more
than a few hours. We had no venereal problems. The majority of
Filipinos were good "family" people.
Tuguegarao Air Field Raid: Captain Minton selected some of his
outstanding Scouts for his patrol. Under cover of darkness, Minton and
his men surrounded the Japanese barracks at the Tuguegarao Air Field,
killed some one-hundred Japanese soldiers as they emerged, and
destroyed two planes on the ground.
MacArthur was delighted! He promptly decorated the patrol
and promoted Majors Warner and Nakar to Lt. Cols. and Minton to Major.
The following communiqué was quickly announced from Corregidor: "One
of General MacArthur's guerrilla bands, operating in the Cagayan
Valley in northern Luzon, scored a brilliant local success in a
surprise raid on a hostile airdrome at Tuguegarao. The Japanese were
taken completely by surprise and fled in confusion leaving 110 dead on
the field. Approximately three hundred others were put to flight. Our
losses were very light."
MacArthur said, "If Bataan should fall, I'd consider joining the
guerrillas myself."
Patrols: Our patrols and outposts harassed the enemy until they
withdrew from the Cagayan Valley late in March. One battalion pursued
the Japs to Balete Pass, where they set up defense positions.
Telephone and courier services were quickly established.
The patrols continued to make raids on enemy held barrios. Normally
two soldiers (former townsmen when possible) entered the selected
barrio as civilians with produce to sell or trade. After making the
necessary observations as to the habits of the enemy, they would
leave. The following dawn, they would cut the telephone lines at each
end of town, and then attack the enemy barracks. Usually food,
supplies and equipment could be obtained, in addition to disrupting
Japanese activities. Any injured soldiers who' could not continue with
the raiding party were cared for by a local civilian family.
Politicians: Riding our horses into town, Col. Nakar and I met
frequently with provincial governors, mayors and engineers to discuss
mutual problems. We helped them police their areas and they helped us
obtain supplies. When a politician became jittery, thinking of
possible punishments if he should be captured, we had to replace him
with a stable official.
We were able to get permission from President Quezon on Corregidor to
print "emergency money" to pay the regiment and to purchase the
supplies. The actual printing of the money was done by the provincial
treasurer.
In late February, 1942, President Roosevelt announced that there could
be no attempt to relieve the Philippines. Actually no reinforcements
had reached the Philippines since the first bombing.
Roosevelt directed MacArthur to transfer his headquarters from
Corregidor to Australia. On March 11th, MacArthur and his family, and
some of his staff departed on P.T. boats.
Spanish friends: On Sundays, when things became quiet, Guillermo Nakar
and I liked to ride our horses to a Spanish hacienda across the
Cagayan River to spend several hours "away" from the war. We crossed
the river in long bancas (dugout canoes) and swam our horses behind
us, at times fending off rather large crocodiles.
Since Spain was a neutral country, the Japanese did not bother the
Spaniards very much, except indirectly. The Spaniards grew fine
fruits, vegetables and tobacco. They ate and lived well; Guillermo and
I enjoyed sharing a good meal with them.
On my last visit to the hacienda, I gave the Spaniards my movie
camera, Hamilton watch, fountain pen, and a pearl ring I had bought
for Judy, for "safekeeping" until the war was over.
About one year after the end of the war, I received them in poor
condition (being buried in the moist ground) from a Spanish priest,
who probably had had great difficulty in locating me; (he wanted money
to help him build a new church).
14th Infantry, Philippine Army: On April 1, 1942, USAFFE HQ on
Corregidor seemed to have learned that guerrilla type warfare was not
in accord with the rules of land warfare. Our regiment received a new
title-we were the" 14th Infantry of the Philippine Army." Our regiment
now controlled the Cagayan Valley, from Tuguegarao in the north to
Balete Pass in the south, and from Kiangan in the west to Palanan and
Casiguran ports on the east coast.
Bataan: The Bataan situation was becoming desperate; rations had been
cut a second time. Soldiers in foxholes were having trouble getting
food. The 26th Cavalry was eating its horses. The 65th Pack Train was
eating its mules. Other soldiers ate trapped dogs, monkeys, lizards;
in fact most anything they could catch.
On Good Friday, 1942, General Homma opened up with his biggest
offensive-all his artillery supported by heavy bombing.
The front line of General Lim's 41st Division was pulverized. Nearly
100,000 seasoned Jap troops were overrunning the cadaverous defenders
of the "American Way of Life." A few terrified and bedraggled remnants
of the native companies were managing to filter back.
General Edward (Ned) King's 11th Division was too exhausted
to plug holes in the 41st Division. The Japs were now penetrating in
large numbers.
On April 8, Gen. King called all his officers together; he tried to
spare his starved, diseased, wounded, and exhausted troops such things
as marching to internment camps; he requested conditions of surrender:
1. A four-hour armistice.
2. Japanese forces to remain in present positions during armistice.
3. Consideration be given for sick and wounded soldiers and civilians.
4. That U.S. Army transportation be used to carry sick and wounded to
any internment camp that the Japanese General may direct. General
Homma's Chief of Staff shouted, "Yuo vill sullendah unconitionarry!"
Bataan Falls: On April 9, 1942, starvation, disease and the
ubiquitous Japanese caused the collapse of Bataan. General King became
the first U.S. general ever forced to surrender his command to an
enemy. He referred to his "heroes of Bataan" as follows: "Courage is a
quality God has seen fit to dispense with utmost care. He limits it to
His special favorites. He knows they will reward Him well, using the
power with dignity, strength and distinction. The men of Bataan and
Corregidor were His chosen favorites. They walked through unbearable
hell and labored on-under conditions that history had never recorded.
When they were supposed to be dead, these men of honor rose again-to
battle a cruel enemy with this intangible weapon."
"When history of the Second World War is fully written, Americans will
thrill to the story of the 'Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor!'"
The fall of Bataan ended any possibility of getting supplies for the
14th Infantry; our patrols had only three rounds of ammunition per
man. We became quite depressed over the surrender of Bataan; we knew
many of our friends there must be dead, wounded or suffering from
starvation and many diseases.
Shortly we received the following order from Corregidor: "CUT STRENGTH
OF 14TH INFANTRY TO 600! WAINWRIGHT." This was a big blow to the whole
regiment.
Thousands of Japs were massed at Balete Pass and moving north into the
Cagayan Valley. Our patrols kept us posted. Col. Warner, becoming
frustrated and trying to determine what
positive effort could be made toward winning the war by his remaining
troops, noted that the 14th Infantry held two valuable ports at
Casiguran and Palanan. He took Major Minton and some Scouts across the
Sierra Madre mountains to the Pacific coast to explore possibilities.
He considered finding or building a good pier for supplies to be
brought in; he looked for suitable beaches for landing craft in the
event of an invasion and as a last resort, boats that could carry
personnel to China.
The Japanese troops were advancing on Echague, some fifteen miles from
Jones. Guillermo was fearful lest the Japanese locate the regimental
radio by triangulation of transmission waves. Guillermo and I, with
several Scouts, got into two bancas and worked our way up the Cagayan
River through a series of rapids to Pinippigan, where we spent the
night. The following day, with the barrio teniente, we looked for
places to hide the radio if it became necessary.
When we returned to Jones, we discharged nine hundred soldiers, to be
sent home, to grease and hide their rifles, to hide their uniforms and
equipment, and to become civilian farmers. They soon earned the
reputation, "farmers daytime-soldiers nighttime."
Corregidor, the "Rock": With the fall of Bataan, the Japanese moved
their heavy artillery right into the grounds of our Army hospitals on
Bataan-to concentrate their massive barrages on Corregidor-without
fear of retaliation from the big guns on Corregidor. The shelling and
bombing became relentless for several weeks.
On May 5th, as the Japanese barges were approaching Corregidor,
General Wainwright offered to surrender to General Homma, who replied,
"Imperial Japanese Army and Navy are only prepared to accept surrender
of all American and Filipino troops in whole Archipelago - Homma."
One of the last messages to come from Corregidor: "Major Eugene C.
Jacobs, M.C., transferred to command of Col. John Horan in Mountain
Province north of Baguio."
I reasoned, "Maybe his heart is giving him trouble and he feels the
need of a doctor." My weight was down from 165 to 120 pounds. I had
had amoebic dysentery for several months and had lost considerable
strength. I didn't relish traveling some one hundred to 150 miles
through areas held by the Japanese, to learn that Col. Horan had
already surrendered to the Japanese.
(Later I learned that this is exactly what happened. He surrendered on
May 14, 1942).
Corregidor Falls: With the silencing of the big guns and the radio on
Corregidor on May 6th, we found ourselves unable to contact any ally.
In a matter of hours, we picked up the voice of General Wainwright
over the Japanese radio in Manila: "WE ARE 8,000 MILES FROM THE UNITED
STATES. THERE HAS BEEN AND WILL BE NO REINFORCEMENTS. FURTHER
RESISTANCE AND BLOODSHED ARE USELESS.
I ORDER ALL FIL-AMERICAN FORCES IN THE PHILIPPINES TO LAY DOWN ARMS
AND TO SURRENDER! WAINWRIGHT."
We were quite sure that Wainwright was being pressured by the Japanese
to make his broadcast. We questioned whether or not a captured general
still had the authority to issue orders to his former "unsurrendered"
command.
Transfer to Mountain Province: Trying to be a good soldier, I prepared
to make my transfer to Col. Horan's Guerrilla Unit. I obtained a good
guide and a strong horse. I told the officers and men of the 14th
Infantry, "Good-bye and good luck." We started north.
After several days on the trail, the guide and I reached a small
barrio east of Ilagan. Natives told us Ilagan was occupied by
Japanese.
As I was bedding down in a small native shack, a Filipino quietly
crept up to my bed, and said, "Sir! I am an emissary from General
Aguinaldo in Palanan. Sir! General Aguinaldo wants to hide you from
the Japanese for the duration of the war."
I was delighted; this seemed like the answer to a prayer. I had no
idea where Aguinaldo had ever heard of me, or why he was interested in
me. We did have one thing in common we were both doctors. I learned
several things about Aguinaldo: he had been mayor of a small barrio.
When the Americans took the Philippines from the Spanish in 1899,
Aguinaldo appointed himself the President of the Philippines and led
an insurgent army of 40,000 against the Americans and fought a long
and bloody war.
Aguinaldo was finally captured in Palanan by Gen. Fred Funston; he was
brought to Manila as a prisoner, where he swore an oath of allegiance
to the United States and became a good friend. The Military Governor,
Gen. Arthur MacArthur, the
father of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, treated Aguinaldo as an honored
guest in the Malacanong Palace in Manila.
General Aguinaldo's emissary told me to meet him the following day at
a Spanish hacienda, the Buen-venida, near the barrio of San Mariano,
about thirty miles to the south. He would lead me over the Sierra
Madre Mountains to Palanan and General Aguinaldo.
The next morning the guide and I started south-attempting to find the
designated hacienda. After riding all day, we finally arrived at a
hacienda, but not the Buen-venida. When I inquired as to the direction
to Buen-venida, the Spanish owner asked me:
"Did you come to surrender?" I answered with a very positive, "No!" He
said, "Col. Warner and Major Minton are here with their staff-from
Palanan." I answered, "I would like to see them!"
As I greeted Col. Warner and Major Minton, in walked another American
from a different direction. Lt. Col. Theodore Kalakuka, QMC, Gen
Wainwright's G-4 from Manila, saying, "I've been sent here by General
Wainwright." Ted had arrived in a Jap plane from Manila with a
Japanese pass. He continued, "He has ordered all Fil-American troops
to surrender. If any unit does not surrender, all of the captives on
Corregidor will be severely punished (probably slaughtered!)" For my
benefit, he continued, "There are thousands of Americans in internment
camps that are extremely sick and desperately in need of medical care.
Any American who does not surrender will be considered a deserter of
the United States Army!" (Several weeks later, Ted died of cerebral
malaria while looking for Americans who had not surrendered.)
Col. Warner pointed out to our officers that "the Japanese have a
bounty on each of our heads. It is the beginning of the rainy season.
There is a great scarcity of food. The Japanese have warned the
Filipinos that anyone caught helping Americans would be executed. The
Filipinos can no longer afford to be friendly to Americans."